We knew that air pollution was responsible for cancer and respiratory diseases and that it was responsible for one in four deaths in the world. A new study darkens this picture by asserting that a stroke(Stroke) in three is caused by air pollution.
74% of strokes are linked to preventable risk factors
In an international survey on risk factors for stroke, air pollution and fine particles, were ranked 7th in terms of impact on health. Valery Feigin, director of the National Institute for Diseases and Applied Neurosciences at Auckland University of Technology, the study’s lead author, said in The Lancet neurology that the magnitude of the threat had taken researchers by surprise. By thickening the blood, the fine particles cause clots to form which, in turn, cause a stroke.
This study also shows that three quarters of strokes (74%) are linked to preventable risk factors such as smoking, an unbalanced diet or lack of physical activity.
The top 10 risk factors for stroke
Each year, approximately 15 million people suffer from a stroke, 6 million die from it and 5 million have permanent neurological sequelae.
The top ten risk factors for stroke are therefore:
• high blood pressure
• a diet low in fruit
• a body mass index raised
• a diet rich in sodium
• smoking
• a diet low in vegetables
• the atmospheric pollution
• pollution in the house due to solid fuels
• a diet low in fiber
• high blood sugar level.
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